Taking Over Me
by Sailor Red
Summary: Taito/Yamachi, Angsty and Fluffy. Taichi's following a dream, Yamato's living a nightmare. Please R/R! *COMPLETE!*
1. Dreaming a Nightmare

Taking Over Me

By Sailor Red

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It was nearly four in the afternoon and Taichi Yagami felt insanity creep up on him. He was supposed to hear from them today. The phone should have rung an hour ago, and Taichi could barely contain himself anymore. This was a phone call that could change his life! How could they make him wait like this? 

"Tai!" Taichi nearly fell off of his chair at the sudden noise. It was Hikari's voice that had startled him. "Tai, there's mail for you!" 

"It can wait!" Taichi responded and went back to watching the phone, tapping his fingers nervously on his lap. He heard Hikari sigh from the doorway.

"Alright nii-chan, but I thought you were waiting for this. . . It's from Ireland. . ." Hikari didn't get to finish as her brother ripped the letter out of her hand. She giggled at his mutterings of "They said they were going to _call_ . . . making me wait like this . . ." as he ripped open the letter and started reading its contents. 

"We regret to inform you . . ." Taichi read the first line, his heart sinking, his hand dropping to his side. Hikari took it out of his hand and read it, then looked at her brother, eyes glittering. 

"Ne, Tai . . .read the rest." Taichi looked at her sister quizzically and took the letter from her, reading:

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"Mr. Yagami,

We regret to inform you that there are no longer any open positions in our intern-coaching program this year. However, we have viewed the tape that was sent with your application, and would like to offer you a position on our team. Should you wish to join us, please reply to the number at the bottom of this letter. We eagerly await your response.

                                                                                    Coach O'Donnell"

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Taichi's hands shook violently as he read the letter again. He dropped the letter after he had read it a third time, and Hikari stared at him, grinning from ear to ear.

"I guess you'll be moving then . . ." Taichi nodded dumbly, picked up the letter, and walked to the phone.

Hikari dropped her smile when her brother left the room. She was happy for him, she was, but . . . 

She yanked her cell phone out of her pocket and started dialing. I _have_ to tell him! He's got to know now! Hikari felt tears sting her eyes. As much as she wanted to be happy for her brother, the selfish part of her didn't want him to leave. If anyone might be able to talk him out of it . . ."

"Ishida residence!" 

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"S-say that again, Kari?" Yamato's heart caught in his throat and he tried to steady his breathing. 

"I think Tai's going to move to Ireland," she whispered. "He had applied for an intern coaching job over there. It was supposed to be a weeklong thing!  Now they're offering a position on the team to him! I mean, it's great for him, but . . ." Hikari choked back a sob.

"Matt, I don't want him to go . . ." Yamato sighed.

"Kari, I think we should be happy for him. It's his dream, after all. Besides, how long can he possibly be gone?" 

Hikari didn't get a chance to answer as Taichi came running into the room and squeezed her. He was grinning ear to ear, and said, so loud half the block could probably hear him:

"They want to give me a five year contract!! All I have to do is get there by Friday!!!" he looked at the calendar. "I need to pack! I only have four days!"

With that, he ran to his room and the sounds of things being thrown around echoed throughout the house.

Yamato and Hikari stood dumbfounded, devastated, both clutching their phones with white knuckles.

"Five years?!"

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Yamato barely knocked on the door to the Yagami house: Hikari was standing by it and opened it at the first sound made from outside. 

"Where is he?" he asked, breathless. Yamato had just run all the way from his house. He had to talk to Taichi. There was no way he was going to let that man walk out of his life for five years. What would he do without him!?

"He's in his room . . . Matt, I think you should calm down a little first. Have a glass of water or something." Hikari touched his arm gently, her eyes rimmed with tears. ". . . besides, you don't want to go and say anything you might . . . regret." Yamato took a deep breath and sighed. 

"All right." 

Hikari knew one of Yamato's deepest secrets: the only secret he couldn't confide to Taichi. It was the one thing he had been holding from the spiky haired digidestined. It was a piece of information that Hikari had called him on not even a week ago. 

She knew that Yamato was gay. Not only that, he was in love with her older brother.

This was not the time to let Taichi in on that piece of information. Yamato had to remain cool and casual about this situation. He had to talk to Taichi rationally. If not, he may lose him, not for five years, but forever. He had to think. He had to . . ."

"Hey Matt! What are you doing here?" Taichi came up behind Yamato, and Yamato's eyes went wide. He regained his composure and turned around to face the other boy.

"Kari called me and told me about your soccer contract." 

Taichi's face fell. Something in Yamato's eyes wasn't right. He looked upset, almost defeated. What was wrong with him? Wasn't he happy for him?

"What's wrong?" Yamato sighed.

"Don't you think it's a little weird that this team sees one tape and offers you a contract? I mean, what team would do that?" Taichi smiled. So Yamato just thought he was getting conned. He was just concerned about Taichi getting his hopes up! 

"Yeah, I did. That's why I called them. I couldn't believe it! I send in a tape for an intern position and get a place on the team? It just didn't make any sense! So then they told me that the tape isn't only what sparked their interest. They then took it upon themselves to check on my team stats throughout school and my town scores, and, well, the rest is history. They really want me Matt! Besides, I'm 18 now, it's a dream come true, and I'm going! I just have to!" Taichi was grinning like the Cheshire cat, while that same cat that was making Taichi so happy was clawing out Yamato's heart. He couldn't tell Taichi not to follow his dream. How could he suggest something, anything that would make him unhappy?  

"Taichi . . ." Yamato sighed, and then stuffed his hands in his pockets. Taichi looked at him in confusion.

"What's with the full name? Aren't you happy for me?" Yamato's head shot up.

"Of course I am! It's just . . ." Hikari put her hand on Yamato's shoulder and the blonde tensed up. 'I'm not going to do anything stupid, Kari' he thought, shrugging her hand off of him. "It's just that I'm going to miss you man. Five years is a long time." Taichi's eyes softened and he smiled gently.

"I'm going to miss you too, Yama." Yamato jumped slightly and involuntarily: Taichi rarely referred to him as "Yama." He had only used the nickname once before, and that was to comfort him after one of his friends from elementary school had died. 

Taichi then did something Yamato really didn't expect. He threw his arms around the blonde and held him tightly, tears falling from his eyes. 

"It's my dream, Yama." Taichi whispered into his ear. "This is a once in a lifetime thing. I have to go." The brunette squeezed a little tighter, and then released Yamato, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Tai?" Yamato asked questioningly, seeing the tears in the other boy's eyes. He felt tears sting his own. Taichi smiled.

"I love you, Yama." Yamato's eyes widened and his heart pounded. He was about to reply, however, Taichi continued. "You're my best friend." 

Yamato felt that he'd been punched in the stomach. He forced the bile in his throat down and the smile on his face forward. 

"I'll see you then." The holder of the crest of friendship then turned and walked out the door. He ran once he got outside, stopping only to vomit into the bushes. Taichi had left him with the cruelest parting words possible. Yamato didn't even try to stop his tears as he walked the rest of the way home.

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"Wow, everyone's here! I'm impressed!" The entire digidestined team was gathered in the airport, some with tears in their eyes, some feigning cheer, and some just smiling politely. 

"Not everyone." Taichi looked to Takeru, who was standing with his arms crossed. "I can't believe Matt didn't show up. He's your best friend!" 

"It's okay, T.K. I'm sure he has a reason." Taichi faked a smile. Why _wasn't_ Yamato here? Taichi's heart fell. He needed to say goodbye to Yamato. More than anyone, the sapphire-eyed boy was the one person he needed here right now. There was no way he could leave without . . .

"Hold the plane!" Taichi turned to the direction of the familiar voice and smiled broadly. Yamato.

The blonde ran up to the group and sighed in relief. Thank god. He thought he was going to miss him. He smiled and handed Taichi a small package.

"Had to get you a going away present." Taichi shook his head.

"You really didn't have to, Matt. I'm just glad you're here." Yamato smiled.

"Whatever. Just open it." Taichi shrugged and quickly unwrapped the gift. He looked at it questioningly as he realized that it was some sort of jewelry. Smiling, he opened the box and gasped. Inside was a Celtic cross necklace.   

"Matt!" Taichi stared at Yamato, tears forming in his eyes. Yamato grinned.

"It's to protect you while you're away, and a reminder so you don't forget your friends here. Make sure you come back in one piece." Taichi put the necklace on and gave Yamato a hug, whispering in his ear:

"I could never forget you, Yama, never. Thank you so much for everything." 

Yamato whispered back:

"Don't talk like you're dying, Tai!"

"Leaving you right now, part of me _is_ dying." 

Yamato gasped and Taichi released him from his hold, trying to act as natural as possible. The blonde boy just stood in complete shock as Taichi waved goodbye and started running to his gate, smiling and crying simultaneously.  

"Matt? Hello? Earth to Matt?" Jyou said loudly, poking the younger boy in the arm. Yamato jumped a little and stared at the doctor-to-be. He was about to say something when Hikari jumped in. 

"Leave him alone!" Yamato cringed at Hikari's words. 'Leave him alone,' huh? 'No, Jyou, don't leave me alone. None of you can leave me alone. Otherwise, I may just die here.'

With that thought, Yamato walked away, stone faced. Everything hurt, but the numbness set in. It was going to be a long five years. A long, lonely, five years. 

Little did Yamato know, his future reunion with Taichi was going to hurt a lot more than the wait to see him again. . . 

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TBC

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A.N. Hope you like! This is my first Digimon fic, so reviewing is greatly appreciated!!

Ja ne!

Sailor Red


	2. Poetry in Motion

Taking Over Me

Chapter 2

By Sailor Red

A.N. Wow! I posted chapter one at 11pm yesterday, only to wake up at 7am and find out that I already have four reviews! You guys are awesome! Thanks so much! 

Disclaimer: (which I forgot last chapter -_-6) I don't own Digimon, no surprise there. I never will own it. Oh well.

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5 Years Later

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Yamato tapped his pencil on his desk, sighing. Usually, this was one of his favorite classes, as much as he hated to admit it. Today, however, he hated it. He just wanted to be out of school. College was great and everything, it really was, but all he had in mind was that today was the end of Soccer season. Ireland was up against Spain tonight for the world cup, which meant Taichi was coming back soon. 'After all these years' Yamato thought sadly. 'I hope he remembers me.'

"Turn to page 76, the poem entitled "Taking Over Me." You'll need to give me the meaning of this poem on Monday, and if you answer doesn't include either "obsession" or "unrequited love," you fail." The teacher laughed. "Make sure it's at least half a page, people!" Yamato groaned. 

If this assignment wasn't just perfect, he didn't know what was.

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Yamato lay on his bed, thinking. He had just gotten off the phone with Hikari, and despite her nagging, refused to go and watch the game with her and the rest of the group. He hadn't watched a single game since Taichi had left; he couldn't bring himself to look at the boy. It hurt too much.

He missed Taichi terribly. He had done many things over the course of the past five years that he wouldn't have done if Taichi were around. Some of these things were good, productive activities, such as going to college. Others were bad, involving him having at least a dozen pointless relationships. Anything to keep his mind off of Tai was something he would do, gladly. 

The second he started thinking about the brown haired man, he shut himself down, closed himself to the world. When that happened, no one could talk to him. He wouldn't respond.

Of course everyone missed Taichi, and Yamato realized this at some point and snapped out of his gloom. He just couldn't willingly look at the boy.

He would not watch the games. He would not look at old pictures. He would _definitely_ not go over to the Yagami house for a party. He sighed as the phone rang.

"Are you watching the game?" The breathless voice over the phone made Yamato's heart skid to a halt. _It couldn't be! _

"Tai?!" he could practically hear Taichi grin over the phone.

"I only got a couple of seconds. Kari called before the game and told me you weren't watching. I need your support, man! C'mon! Crap, I have to go. Turn on the TV already!" The phone clicked off and Yamato clicked his TV on. 

_"What's this? Is Yagami on the phone? He'd better get back out there!" _ Yamato watched as the boy ran to the field and gave his teammates a nod. One of them smiled, and the game resumed. The score was tied with only seconds left. Taichi ran up the field, and at the last possible second, slammed the ball towards the goal.

_"Goal! Yagami does it again! The cup belongs to Ireland!" _

Yamato felt himself smile, the first genuine smile he had worn on his face for years. He was about to click off the television when a reporter came running up to Taichi. 

"What are you going to do now?" Taichi looked at the reporter and smiled broadly.

"I'm taking a year off. I've got family and friends back in Japan that I'm dying to see and talk to." Yamato felt tears come to his eyes. Taichi was . . .

Taichi smiled into the camera and made a victory sign with his hand.

"Guys, I'm coming home!"

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"But _Kari, I'm missing my poetry class! The professor is going to kill me!" Hikari just grinned and attempted to drag Yamato up the sidewalk. Yamato rolled his eyes. "You don't have to drag me. Where are we going?"_

"The park!" She beamed. Yamato frowned.

"Why are we going there? You know, my professor embarrasses us when we hand in an assignment late! He makes us drag a friend into class and has us read our homework to them. It sucks!" Hikari sighed and shook her head.

"This is worth it! Close your eyes." 

"What?"

"Close your eyes, or I'll blindfold you!" Yamato sighed and closed his eyes. He trusted the young woman, but sometimes she infuriated him. She was a lot like her older brother. 

"Wait here for a sec." A minute passed and he heard her voice again. "Alright, open them." Yamato opened his eyes and glared at the young girl, the most annoyed look possible on his face. She giggled and motioned for him to turn around. Yamato huffed and made a 180.

He nearly fell over. 

About twenty feet in front of him were Jyou, Koushiro, Takeru, Ken, Iori, Miyako, Mimi, Sora, and Daisuke, sitting on a picnic blanket and chatting loudly. Standing up, leaning against a tree, and staring straight at him with a grin was Taichi, looking for all the world like the cat that ate the canary. 

Yamato looked back at Hikari to thank her, only to see her mouth out: 

"Watch out!" The blonde haired boy whipped around and was met face to face with a mischievously smiling Taichi holding the biggest, most heavy-duty squirt gun he had ever seen. Yamato's eyes widened as Taichi pulled the trigger. 

"Yagami! I'm going to kill you!" Yamato screamed and chased after the boy, only to be hosed down the second he caught up. Taichi laughed.

"Miss me?"

"Baka!"

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Hikari looked at Yamato and giggled. "Well, looks like you're not going to school today!" Yamato glared at her and plopped on the grass.

"School?" Taichi asked curiously. "Matt?" Yamato looked at his attacker as he wrung water out of his shirt.

"Yeah. College. I've been going for a couple of years now. Two more and I'm a psychologist. Gotta love it." Taichi stared at his friend.

"Psychologist?! What happened to your music?" Yamato frowned.

"We don't all get to live our dreams, Taichi." Taichi winced at Yamato's tone. Yamato sighed and turned to Hikari. "Hey, Kari, since you got me in this school mess, are you going to come in with me tomorrow?" Hikari dropped her head.

"I have to take the cat to the vet for mom." Yamato frowned and looked around the group. Everyone was shaking his or her heads.

"I'll go, Matt!" Yamato jumped. "What do I have to do?" The blonde gulped. This was bad. Taichi? In his poetry class? Tomorrow?! 

"W-well, it's a poetry class. You just have to show up and sit there, really. Then I'm stuck embarrassing myself in front of the class, reading it to you." 

"I can handle that. Don't worry, man, you're covered." Yamato wasn't so sure. What was that assignment again?

Oh no.

Unrequited Love.

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Yamato looked over his paper and gulped. The professor walked in and sat down, opening his briefcase and pulling out his attendance sheets.

"Ah! It looks like we'll be having a presentation from Mr. Ishida today!" He smiled in Yamato's direction. "So, what is your reason for missing my class?" Yamato sighed.

"It was a reunion."

"A reunion you couldn't give advance notice for?" Ah, Yamato finally realized. This teacher isn't as great as he thought. Not when he was on the receiving end of his odd punishment.

"No sir, one of my friends brought me there without telling me; it was a surprise. Then the guest of honor proceeded to . . . um . . . attack me with a squirt gun." The class erupted in laughter at this. Perfectly groomed Yamato being shot by a water gun! That was funny.

"This person seems to have quite the sense of humor. Now, who did you bring to read to?"

"He's waiting in the hall." The teacher looked at him quizzically. 

"Why is he in the hall, Mr. Ishida? Go get him." Yamato got up and opened the door, walking out to the hall. He glared at the hooded boy in the corner. 

"Taichi, what's up with the stupid disguise? C'mon." Taichi smiled and got up, putting his hood down and walking into the class. A unanimous gasp was heard and Yamato rolled his eyes. Taichi turned to Yamato and winked.

"That's why I wore the hood. Baka." The teacher looked to Taichi, then Yamato, then back again. There was a little something in his sixth sense that was going wild looking at these two. Oh, this was going to be _good!_

"Alright class, calm down. Yagami-san, please sit in Ishida's desk. Take it away, Ishida." Yamato's hands started positively shaking, and he knew he had to stop. Taichi would suspect! Taichi would know! He took a deep breath and . . .

"What's the holdup, Mr. Ishida? Read the poem and then read your summary." Yamato gulped and his eyes widened. The poem too?! Oh god!

"Matt, it's okay." Taichi whispered to his best friend. "Just read it." Yamato took a deep breath.

"You don't remember me, but I remember you.

I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you.

But who can decide what they dream? 

And dream I do . . .

I believe in you. I'll give up everything just to find you.

I have to be with you to live, to breathe, you're taking over me.

Have you forgotten all I know and all we had?

You saw me mourning my love for you and touched my hand.

I knew you loved me then.

I believe in you. I'll give up everything just to find you.

I have to be with you to live, to breathe, you're taking over me.

I look in the mirror and see your face if I look deep enough

So many things inside that are just like you are taking over

I believe in you. I'll give up everything just to find you.

I have to be with you to live, to breathe, you're taking over me."

Yamato finished the poem, shaking and shivering. Oh god. 

Taichi was staring at Yamato with wide eyes and visibly gulped. They stared at each other for at least a minute when the teacher cleared his throat and asked him to continue and read his summary. A single tear ran down the blond man's face and he spoke again.

"This poem is about unrequited love and the obsession that comes with it. It explains how strong emotion can control another's life, and hints at the underlying pain that comes with it." Yamato took a deep breath. He thought he was in the clear. The teacher spoke up again. 

"Mr. Ishida, what were your personal feelings to this poem? Do you find yourself able to relate to the writer?" Yamato dropped the paper and turned around to face the teacher. The teacher nodded in silent answer to Yamato's unspoken question. Yes, Yamato had to answer.

Yamato looked down and squeezed his eyes shut.

"I-I found myself relating to this writer more than I've had to any other lately. I've lived the experience. Are you happy sensei?! Can I stop now?" Yamato suddenly felt Taichi clasp his hand on his shoulder, and felt the urge to run, to disappear. The teacher smiled.

"Yes Mr. Ishida, that's enough. Class dismissed."

Neither Taichi nor Yamato moved as the class left the room. Once everyone was gone, Taichi spun Yamato around and looked him in the eye.

"What's going on, Yamato?" Taichi had to know. There was something seriously bothering his best friend; something that he was pretty sure he had a good idea about.

Yamato shook his head, spun around, and walked out of the classroom. 

Taichi put his hood back on his head and sighed. He hoped what was going on wasn't what he thought was going on.

He loved Yamato more than anyone else in the world. Right now though, he already had a boyfriend. 

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TBC

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A.N. The poem in this fic is actually a song by Evanescence called Taking Over Me. A very good song and this fic's namesake.

Sorry for the Cliffy again. I'm horribly addicted to them; always have been. R/R.

More reviews, faster post! ^_^ Ja ne!

Sailor Red 


	3. Questions and Breakups

Taking Over Me

Chapter 3

By Sailor Red

AN: O_o 16 reviews?! You guys are awesome! 

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Taichi walked towards his house, thoughts of what happened at the school plaguing him. The words that Yamato had spoken through the poem had hit him hard. The look on the blonde's face had made him want to scream. How could a teacher be so awful as to do that to somebody? Yamato must have been so embarrassed.

Was Taichi embarrassed? No. He wasn't. He was in too much shock to even think about being embarrassed. He had just sat there, his heart beating madly, as Yamato had read to him. The teacher had to have done it on purpose.

Yamato was the only one who didn't know that Taichi was gay. Or, he was at least close to the only one who didn't know. Taichi had caused an uproar when a reporter had taken a picture of him kissing another guy. Of course, since Yamato hadn't been watching his games, or anything about the brown haired boy, he was clueless. Hikari had told Taichi as much.

That was another thing that bothered him. Yamato had become such close friends with his little sister. Taichi was supposed to be his best friend, and now his little sister knew more about Yamato than he did. He could tell in her eyes that she was keeping something from him. What that thing was, he had no idea. He just knew it was something important. 

He sighed as opened the door to his house. Inside, Hikari was watching television and laughing hysterically. Taichi grinned. 

"Whatcha watching, Kari?" She looked up to him, wiping tears from her eyes. 

"The tape from your 18th birthday." Taichi smiled and looked at the screen showing the digidestined playing truth or dare. It was like a tradition among them. Every time a birthday came along, this was one of the required games. It wasn't a party without it. Hikari was still laughing. "Daisuke just kissed Ken . . . the look on Ken's face is just priceless!" Taichi laughed.

"Who had dared him to do that, again?" Hikari smiled. 

"Yamato. Then, remember, Daisuke got all mad and dared him to . . ." Hikari stopped, her heart dropping,  and turned to the television where a fuming Daisuke was glaring at Yamato after the blonde had chosen a dare.  

"Oh yeah, Matt?" Daisuke hissed. "Then I dare you to kiss Tai!" Yamato's eyes widened, and the Taichi on the screen smiled. 

"Whatever." Yamato answered and walked over to where Taichi was sitting, and kissed him. It was just a quick peck on the lips, but both of the boys were blushing when the act was done. 

The television was turned off suddenly, and Hikari looked to her older brother. His mouth was hanging open.

"I-I didn't remember that . . ." Hikari looked at her brother quizzically after he said that. How could he not remember? 

"Tai? Why not?" Taichi looked at Hikari and grimaced. 

"I'd been drinking. It was an 18th birthday rite of passage thing, you know. All I remember from that party was, well, a lot of puke." Hikari looked at her brother with a raised eyebrow. 

"Well, I guess what they say is true then . . ." Taichi looked at his sister like she'd grown an extra head. "The truth comes out when you drink. You had homosexual tendencies back then, too. That blush you just saw on your face? You were wearing it the rest of the night after Matt kissed you. Everyone was more honest that night. I mean, Matt was drinking too and I asked him about . . ." Hikari clamped her hand over her mouth, a muffled swear coming from her. 

"K-kari . . .what were you going to say? What did you ask Matt?" Hikari shook her head vigorously.

"I can't tell you!" She blurted out, only to cover her mouth again.

"Why not?!" Taichi was getting angry. Everyone knew some sort of secret they weren't telling him, and it was really starting to get on his nerves.

"Why can't I tell you?! Easy! Are you still in that dead end relationship with Sean?!" Taichi froze and narrowed his eyes.    

"What's that supposed to mean?!" 

"It means exactly what I just said! It's a dead end relationship. You don't love him Tai! You've told me this! How many times over the last three years have you called me, upset that he'd cheated on you? He treats you like shit! You're just keeping him around because you're scared of being alone." Taichi glared at his sister, and started to speak when Hikari interrupted him. "And don't you deny it!" Taichi opened his mouth and then closed it, no words coming out.

She was right. She was absolutely right. Taichi looked to the floor and studied his shoes. He didn't love this man he was going out with. How could he possibly? Sean was just horrid to him!

Taichi looked back up to see Hikari sitting on the couch, tears falling from her eyes. He let out a small gasp.

"Kari, why are you crying?" Hikari got up and got into his face, shaking her finger at him. 

"Because . . ." she said angrily. "It's because I'm sick and tired of being the keeper of secrets! Everything would just be fine if everyone would just suck it up and tell people what they feel. I know, because I've been forced to keep everyone's deepest and darkest fears from everyone else. I just want a break!" She lowered her hand shakily to her side and Taichi sighed. He then put his arms around her.

"Kari, don't cry . . . I'm sorry . . ." Hikari sniffled and then looked up to her big brother. 

"Then break up with Sean already. Haven't you had enough? You won't be alone Tai." Taichi released his sister, eyes downcast. 

"Then . . . who's going to hold me at night, Kari? Who's going to tell me everything's going to be fine. I need it sometimes. I need that reassurance . . ." Hikari looked up and stared at Taichi with the most serious look in her eye that he had ever seen. 

"Does Sean do that anyway? How can he do it right now, from Ireland? Why didn't he come with you, Taichi?" Taichi stared at Hikari. Again, she was hitting things right on the nose. 

"Who's boyfriend-of-the-year Sean holding right now, when you're away?" Taichi's eyes widened, and Hikari gasped. Hikari gasped not for what she had just said, but for who was standing behind Taichi, his eyes a portrait of shock.

"Who's Sean?" Taichi spun around to face Yamato who looked like he'd just been slapped. ". . . you have a . . . _boyfriend?_" Yamato stared in disbelief, shock, and horror, at the two people standing in front of him. How could this be happening? He didn't think. He couldn't think. He just slowly turned and started walking towards the door, numb. Taichi was gay. Taichi had a boyfriend. Taichi . . .

"Matt, wait!" Taichi yelled out, but it was too late. Yamato had broken into a run. He had to get away. He had to get far away. How could Hikari not tell him this? How many times had he cried on her shoulder over the past five years about Taichi? How long had this been going on?! 

Yamato practically ripped open the door to his apartment. As soon as he had shut it, he slid down it, breaking into uncontrollable sobs. How . . . How could Taichi love someone else?!

The phone rang, and he ignored it. The answering machine clicked on and he tried to cover his ears.

"Matt! Matt! Answer the phone!" It was Hikari. "Matt!  Look. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I couldn't. I promised I wouldn't. It was all over the news for a little while. When . . . when Tai found out you didn't know, he begged me not to tell you. I promised. I'm sorry. Tai's sorry too. Please talk to him. Please!" She hung up. More correctly, the machine cut her off. Yamato just stared at the machine for a couple of seconds, then played the message again. There was crying in the background.

"Tai . . ."

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"Why are you so upset, Tai?" Taichi stared at his little sister in disbelief. Why was he upset?!

"Why do you think, Kari? My best friend finds out that I'm gay, and he runs away! He's probably disgusted with me! He doesn't even want to look at me!" Hikari stared at her brother in shock. That's what he thought? He couldn't have been farther from the truth! Then again, there was no way Taichi could have known this. Hikari was still the only one who knew that Yamato wasn't straight. He had gone out with only girls for the past couple of years to cover this fact up. Taichi also didn't know that Yamato was in love with him. He had no idea what hearing Hikari's outburst must've done to Yamato. Hikari sighed. Well, she could at least cover one thing up . . .

"He's not disgusted with you." Taichi looked up at his sister with tear worn eyes.

"How can you know that?" Hikari thought for a second. How would she word this? Yamato would kill her if she let his secret slip, especially now. 

"I just know. Matt isn't the type of person to hate someone for being different." Taichi looked at his sister sadly, not believing what she had said. Why would Yamato run, then?

"She's right." Hikari jumped and looked to Yamato. She grinned.

"Don't you ever knock?!" Yamato smiled at her.

"Nope." The blonde plopped on the couch next to Taichi. Taichi looked at him in shock. 

"Why'd you come back?" Yamato sighed and looked to the spiky haired man.

"Oh, you know me. Big bad Digimon bent on destroying the world I can handle, anything heavily emotional and I run away." Hikari laughed, and Taichi smiled. Hikari was glad Yamato had come. 

"I'm going to leave you two alone." The brunette woman said. "Just remember," She said winking. "You'd better be honest with each other, because I'll find out. I don't want to hear two different stories when you guys come to vent to me later." Taichi smiled as she walked out of the room.

"What was that all about?" Yamato asked, and Taichi sighed.

"Kari's been upset. Everyone's been telling her things and she's having trouble keeping all of their secrets. It's eating at her."

"Oh." Yamato felt guilty. He never once thought of how Hikari was going to suffer for him coming to her with everything. It's just that he didn't feel comfortable going to anyone else. 

"Do you hate me?" Yamato jumped at Taichi's question, and stared at him in disbelief. How could he think that he hated him?!

"No! Of course not!" Taichi stared at Yamato.

"Then, really, why did you run when you found out that I was . . . that I am . . ."

"Gay?" Taichi flinched at Yamato's blunt answer.

"Yeah. That." Yamato wracked his brain trying to find an answer that wouldn't give him away. He sighed.

"I was just. . . shocked . . . and, well, a little upset that you didn't have enough faith in me to say anything."  He sighed, and then tried to change the subject. "Who's this Sean guy, anyway?" Taichi fidgeted in discomfort.

"My boyfriend." Yamato flinched, and swallowed a lump in his throat. "I met him at a bar in Ireland . . . seemed to be a great guy. We've been going out for three years, but . . ."

"But what?" Yamato fought down the urge to vomit. God, this hurt. Here he was sitting next to the man he loved, and he was talking about his boyfriend. He wanted to sink into the couch and disappear. Taichi sighed.

"He treats me like shit, Matt. He's constantly cheating on me, always putting me down. I mean, he's thoroughly convinced me that I'm not good enough for anything, that the only thing I can do right is play soccer. . . he beats me up, and then tells me that he only keeps me around because he feels 'sorry' for me since no one will ever love me." 

"WHAT?!" Yamato was pissed. "How can you believe that shit?!" Taichi was taken aback. 

"How can I not?" Yamato's jaw dropped. He was going to kill this Sean bastard! How could he do this to Taichi?! _His Taichi?!_

"Give me his number, Tai." Taichi's eyes widened. What? There was absolute fire in Yamato's eyes. 

"What are you going to do?" The brunette asked tentatively.

"I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. How can you let him treat you like that? How can you believe, even for a second, all the things he's been saying to you?! God, Taichi! Why didn't you just call me? I would have straightened that guy out a long time ago . . ." Taichi looked down to his lap.

"I thought you didn't care." Yamato gasped. 

"Wh-what?" How could he?

"After Hikari told me that you weren't watching any of my games, Sean told me that you didn't care. He told me that you probably had forgotten me the second I left Japan." Yamato ran out of the room and came back with a cordless phone.

"Give me his number, Taichi." Yamato said it with such finality that Taichi froze for a second before pulling out his address book and handing it to the blonde. Before dialing, he looked at Taichi and asked him: "Do you want to stay with this guy?"

Taichi jumped, looked to his feet, and shook his head 'no.' Yamato dialed.

"Hello? Is this Sean?" Yamato spoke through gritted teeth. The voice on the other end laughed.

"Yeah, you responding to my personal?" Yamato's knuckles turned white, gripping the phone.

"Listen you sick son of a bitch! Taichi's done with you, you hear me? You're a loser, and you can rot in hell!" There was no response for a second, and then the click of the phone being hung up. Yamato then threw the phone onto the couch and smiled at Taichi. Taichi was just staring at him.

"Th-thank you . . ." The brunette got up of the couch and ran into Yamato's arms, burying his face in his shoulder, and crying. Yamato shook himself from his shock and put his arms around Taichi. Taichi gasped and cried a little harder, rubbing his face on Yamato's shoulder. "Thank you so much." Yamato reluctantly pulled the boy off of him, his hands on his shoulders. He looked Taichi in the eye.

"Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're not loved. I love you, Tai." Yamato smiled as Taichi's eyes widened. "You're my best friend." Taichi laughed, nervously, and playfully punched Yamato in the shoulder. 

"Are you biting my lines, Ishida?" Yamato laughed.

"Damn straight, I am." Yamato sighed. "I have to get going. Dad is actually going to be home tonight, and he needs me to cook." Taichi nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you, then." Yamato smiled. 

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

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TBC

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^_^ Yay! For once no cliffhanger . . .well, not really anyway. I hope you enjoyed! As always, please review. Next chapter will be up soon! Ja!


	4. Encouragement and Plotting

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Taking Over Me

Chapter 4

By Sailor Red

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_"I love you Tai . . . You're my best friend." _

Taichi played the words over and over again in his head. He had indeed said something similar to Yamato when he had left for Ireland, and he remembered why he had said it then. When Yamato had given him that necklace, his heart had pounded, and he couldn't tear himself away from the sapphire eyes of his best friend. In that instant, he felt more for his friend than he thought he should have at the time. It scared him, so he didn't let himself leave his statement at "I love you." He had to add the best friend bit. Now Yamato had done the same thing, he had uttered the same words . . . but did it mean the same thing Taichi had meant when he'd said it to Yamato, those five long years ago?

 "So, what happened?" Hikari asked her brother. The boy was sitting on the couch looking to be deep in thought. Taichi looked up at Hikari and sighed, then told her what had happened in between Yamato and himself. Hikari looked at him with wide eyes as he finished, not quite knowing what to say.

"What's with that look?" Hikari jumped involuntarily. She sighed. 

"Tai . . . can I ask you something, and you promise not to get mad?" Taichi nodded.

"Yeah, what's up?" The young woman shifted uneasily. This wasn't exactly an easy thing to be talking to her brother about. She gulped.

"Are you . . . I mean, do you . . ." Taichi looked at his sister in bewilderment. This had to be important. Hikari was rarely nervous around him. Her eyes met to reach his and he froze. Fear. She was scared. This was indeed important, and suddenly, Taichi wasn't so sure he was ready for whatever she was about to ask him.

"Taichi . . ." she tried again, and took a deep breath. "Tai, are you in love with Matt?"

Taichi's world stopped, his heart beating madly. Where did that come from? Why did she ask him that? 

How would he answer? 

He couldn't. Instead, he numbly got off of the couch and walked to his room, shutting the door. He didn't register Hikari calling out to him, he didn't answer her when she knocked on the door, apologizing. He simply plopped into his bed and stared at the ceiling, the question asking itself over and over in his head.

_"Tai, are you in love with Matt?"_

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Yamato stirred the stew he was cooking, deep in thought. Why had he said what he said? Why did he cover it up with "You're my best friend."? 

He knew the answer to the second question. He was scared. No, scared wasn't the word for it. He was positively terrified of losing the only person who ever truly meant anything to him. It just seemed easier to blurt out the truth now. Now he knew that Taichi wouldn't hate him for being gay . . . half the weight of his confession had been pulled off his shoulders. He wanted to tell Taichi all. Part of him told him to do it. The other part held him down and barraged him with all the reasons why telling the other boy the truth would be a bad thing. Taichi would have to be the one to tell him . . . if he loved . . .

"Yamato! I'm home!" Yamato dropped the spoon into the soup and grabbed a pair of tongs to pull it out. His father looked at him questioningly. "What, did I scare you or something?" Yamato looked towards the man and frowned.

"Just thinking." 

"You think far too much for a guy your age. Shouldn't you be living it up, partying with your friends?" Yamato laughed.

"I think you've got me confused with Tai, dad." The older man smiled at his son.

"Speaking of Taichi, did you guys ever have a welcome home party for him?" Yamato's eyes widened. How could they forget! "I'll take that as a 'no.' Look, get your friends together and have it here. Just don't disturb the neighbors." Yamato's father hung up his coat and sat down. "So when's dinner?"

"It's all set. Are you sure I can have a party here?"

"I wouldn't have said so if I didn't mean it. Just stay low on the alcohol." Yamato laughed.

"Again, you're confusing me with . . ."

"You're really . . . _fond_ . . . of Taichi, aren't you son?" Yamato nearly dropped the pot, but steadied himself and placed it on its holder. He blushed. Why'd his father ask that? 

"Y-yeah . . . he's my best . . ."

"That's not what I'm talking about Matt, and you know it. You can tell me, you know." Yamato locked eyes with his fathers, which were glittering. Would he feel better to tell his father? "Matt?"

"I-I love him, dad." Mr. Ishida smiled broadly and nodded.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it? I'm sure he loves you too." Yamato studied the stew he was pouring into bowls. 

"I haven't told him."

"Why not?" The blonde haired boy brought dinner to the table his father was sitting. He sighed. 

"I can't. I can't risk our friendship on . . ." 

"How will it hurt your friendship, Matt? You're telling your friend you love him. In a worst-case scenario, he'll just ask to stay friends. He's not going to be mad at you for you loving him!" 

"Whatever." Mr. Ishida sighed. Oh well. This conversation was over. At least he had tried. 

"Matt . . . one more thing. . . how long is Taichi going to be in Japan? Is he spending his whole year off here, or is he just spending a couple of months?" Yamato's eyes widened and his heart fell.

"I-I don't know. . ." Mr. Ishida frowned. He could practically see his son's heart breaking.

"Look Matt, I usually don't tell you what to do, but I'm going to tell you this. Tell Taichi how you feel. Otherwise you're going to be lonely and pining for him for the rest of your life." With that, Yamato's dad got up, threw his dish in the sink and went to his room, leaving Yamato staring at him with wide eyes. 

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Taichi woke to thunder sounding outside. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but he had, and was quite shocked that he could. The memory of Hikari's question came to him full force, and he sat up in bed with a jolt. 

For some reason, he was finding it hard to believe that he had actually been shocked with that question. He had been asking himself the same thing for the past five years. He definitely _cared_ for Yamato. He had for as long as he had known the man. He was his best friend. 

Was he more? Was that what his heart was trying to tell him?

Every time he saw Yamato, his heart would skip a beat. He would find himself watching the blonde as he walked, his hands crammed into his pockets, his hair waving in the wind. He would worry about him constantly. Yamato was never off of his mind. There were little things that would remind him when he would forget for even the shortest moment. His smile . . . his beautiful smile . . . it could wipe away everything. Taichi smiled just picturing it. 

Was he in love with Yamato?

Damn straight he was.

He'd have to tell him soon. Now that he had figured it out, he couldn't wait to. He just needed the right time. He had to wait. There was just one thing getting in his way, one tiny detail that had him worried. What if Yamato wasn't gay?

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"Why in god's name haven't you told him?!" Hikari yelled over the phone. Yamato, on the other end, shook his head.

"It's not that easy!" Hikari sighed.

"You told your dad pretty easily! He's got his head on straight. He told you the same thing _I've _been telling you!" Yamato laughed at that comment. 

"You sound so sure of yourself." Yamato continued laughing and Hikari took the phone off of her ear and glared at it. This was it. It was time to play dirty.

"I asked Taichi if he loved you." Hikari could hear Yamato drop the phone. She giggled hysterically. She waited patiently as she heard Yamato fumbling around for the apparatus. 

"You – did – WHAT?!" Yamato had never been more scared or angry in his life. "How could you do that, Kari? What if he . . ." Yamato took a deep breath. "What did he say?" Hikari smiled evilly.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." Yamato growled.

"That is _so_ immature! Tell me!" 

"Maybe you'll find out at the party." With that, Hikari hung up.

Yamato glared at the phone he was holding, the dial tone ringing in his ears. Shit! Why was she doing this? What was she talking about? What was that woman planning?

The welcome home party was in three days. He had planned it with Hikari before she had started her rant. She would be inviting everyone; Yamato was in charge of setting up the house. Yamato wasn't sure he wanted to have this party, now. 

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Hikari smiled to herself as she put the phone back on its cradle. She'd invited everyone; all was set. Now all she had to do was get the games together, and the master plan in order. She wouldn't have to worry about keeping everyone's secrets anymore. They were all going to come out in a couple of days. She just had to make sure that everything was perfect. She grinned.

"Time to play match-maker."

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TBC

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Mwahahahahahahahahahaha. ^_^ Here's where things get fun. I will be updating soon, minna, probably in a couple of days. I'm probably going to shoot for Wednesday evening, given my psycho work schedule. 

(BTW, My author page is always updated daily with progress notes while I'm mid story. Check there to find out if I'm on schedule, ahead or behind. Things happen, this may help.)

Also, I'm aware that this chapter is shorter than the others. For that, I'm sorry. I just had a lot of trouble with it. It didn't want to come out. So this is it, next chapter will be better, longer, and if things go as planned, fluffier, than all the others. Look forward to it!

Oh, and PLEASE review. I really need the encouragement right now. Arigato!!

Sailor Red


	5. Fun and Games

Taking Over Me 

Chapter 5

By Sailor Red

Disclaimer: Digimon does not belong to me.

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"How many cases did you bring?!" Hikari looked to Yamato and grinned madly. She then pointed to the table and mock counted. 

"Let's see, ichi, ni, san, shi. Four!" She beamed. "That'll be plenty to get everyone buzzed at the very least, and leave a case or so for your dad's hospitality." Yamato looked at her incredulously.

"Buzzed?! You mean piss drunk!" Hikari laughed. 

"Nah, Taichi can hold his own. He _has_ been living in Ireland for the past five years, after all!" Yamato sighed.

"Dad told me to lay low on the booze. He's going to be upset . . ." Hikari rolled her eyes. 

"It's a _party_ Matt, not a nun convention." Yamato threw his hands in the air and shook his head. Obviously there was no reasoning with the girl. 

"Anyway, what are you planning?" Hikari shrugged innocently.

"Oh, a couple of games . . ."

"What kind of _games_," The blonde asked through gritted teeth. ". . . do you have planned? Please don't tell me truth or dare. I may have to hurt you." Hikari raised her eyebrow skeptically. 

"Truth or Dare is for birthday parties, Matt, you know that." Yamato looked relieved and Hikari had to laugh. "Of course, it _is_ pretty popular among us, so I put it in the hat anyway." The blue-eyed boy stared at the young woman.

"Hat?" Hikari nodded.

"All of the games will be randomly selected from this hat." The woman held up a cone shaped party hat, complete with streamers and glitter. It looked like something out of a five-year-old child's birthday party.

"For some reason, Kari, that hat looks far to innocent for what's probably inside it." The girl grinned, and then hearing knocking, went to open the door. 

"You know what, Matt, I think you're right . . ."

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"Alright everybody, listen up!" Hikari shouted loudly and waited as the room slowly quieted down.  She smiled at the group of friends gathered around the area.

"Now, this party here's for my Onii-san, as you all know." The digidestined group cheered. Hikari smiled. They were all pretty buzzed already, minus Iori, who refused to drink.

"I figured, that since he's been gone for so long, he's got a lot of catching up to do." She produced the party hat from behind her back. 

"Inside this hat are slips of paper that have the names of party games on them. Most of them are simple, generic little activities you'd find at any respectable frat party." This produced giggles from Mimi who had been to many parties herself.

"The others, and there are about five or six of them, are games that I made up myself to spice things up a bit." Yamato shuttered involuntarily at that comment. He had a bad feeling about this. 

"So, without further ado! Tai, come on up and pick out a game!" Taichi got up, albeit a little shakily, and walked over to his sister. He gave her a look that said 'What in god's name to you have in that hat,' but Hikari just smiled at him. Taichi sighed. Well, here goes nothing.

"What color purple are you?" he read. "Kari, what the hell is this?!" Hikari just looked like she had just won the lottery, and grabbed the piece of paper from Taichi. 

"Wow, first try and you get one of mine! Alright, this game isn't really much of a game, it's more of a forced truth thing. However, it's anonymous." Hikari saw the confusion on everyone's face and explained. "Everyone has to be completely honest about this. All you do is write you're sexual preference on a piece of paper and give it to me. I'll mix them up, tally them, and let you know the stats. It'll make all the other games a lot more interesting. I promise." Taichi burst out laughing, tears practically coming to his eyes.

"Thank god I came out so long ago . . ." He then stopped, and blushed. "Er . . .sorry guys . . " Taichi looked around the room trying to read the faces of his friends as Hikari collected their papers. He watched Yamato especially closely, but the boy just grinned and whispered something to Hikari, she smiling at him and playfully pushing him away. Taichi sighed. Yamato's face gave him absolutely no clues.

"The results are in." Hikari smiled. You could hear a pin drop. Everyone was staring anxiously at the brunette woman. 

"Five of you are bisexual." She smiled at some of the surprised reactions. Then she continued. "Only two of you are straight." This raised some eyebrows and some gasps. "Which means . . ."

"Five are homosexual, including one brilliantly signed by Mr. Taichi Yagami." Everyone remained silent, until Hikari spoke up. 

"Next game!" She held out the hat to see if anyone wanted to pick. No one stood up, they were still in too much shock from the results of the last one. Hikari finally sighed and picked one out herself. She smiled.

"Spin the Bottle." The woman walked over to Taichi, grabbed the bottle of beer he was currently holding and drank the remaining quarter of it down. "Alright people, in a circle!"

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Spin the bottle was turning out to be fruitless and Hikari was getting annoyed. On top of that, she noticed some of the people were getting angry or jealous. She decided to stop it. The damn bottle just wouldn't land on Taichi or Yamato, and she was positively sick of having to kiss Daisuke. Not that he wasn't cute, but he just wasn't her type . . . and Ken looked about ready to kill her. 

When she announced the game to be over, she received a unanimous sigh of relief. A cheer was screamed when she suggested a break. Everyone got up and made a beeline to the fridge, grabbing a beer. In Yamato's case, he grabbed two. Hikari's eyes widened as he threw her one and then motioned to the couch. 

"Kari, you do realize if I would have had to kiss people, I would have been pissed, right?" Hikari just laughed.

"Matt, Matt, Matt." She shook her head. "What am I going to do with you? Do you want to let you-know-who know, or not?!" Yamato growled. 

"Not that way!" Yamato leaned over to whisper in Hikari's ear. "I want it to be good, you know. I want to tell him on my own terms. I don't want to tell him during some stupid game!" Hikari sighed and looked at the blonde sadly.

"Matt, you've got to tell him soon. You really don't get it, do you?" Yamato looked at the young woman in confusion.

"I don't get . . .what?" his heart lurched. Hikari looked so . . . sad . . .

"Taichi . . . Well, he's only going to be here another month. He was telling my mom and dad yesterday . . . he said something about going to Spain . . ." 

"WHAT?!" Yamato yelled loudly, causing everyone to be absolutely silent. Hikari stared at the sapphire-eyed musician, grabbed his arm, and dragged him out of the room.

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Taichi was getting royally pissed. He didn't know if it was that he was drunk, or if he was just letting his emotions get the better of him, but he was angry. 

No. Angry wasn't the word for it. 

The word was jealous. He was irrationally, violently jealous. So filled with this feeling he was, he had to run to the bathroom and throw up. Yes, the alcohol helped with the nauseous feeling, but that wasn't even the beginning. 

Hikari and Yamato were too damn close. Every time Taichi turned around, they were together. From the moment he had returned he had noticed it. She was always calling him or talking to him, or laughing with him. They were always whispering secrets to each other. They seemed glued at the hip. 

Angry certainly wasn't the word for it. He couldn't even be angry! Who was he supposed to hate in this situation? His sister? The man he loved? 

So, no, he didn't feel angry. He just felt jealous. He felt like he had totally been betrayed. 

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After Hikari had heard that the noise had gone up again, she returned to the room with Yamato glaring at her from behind. 

"Alright everyone, one more game! No hat, no tricks, just typical truth or dare!" Most of the people in the room cheered. This game they could play. They knew by now who not to choose one or the other from. They were pros. Or so they thought . . . 

"Okay! I go first!" Hikari said. "Iori! Truth or dare?" 

"Truth." The young man said without hesitation.

"What's your sexuality?" Iori smiled. Hikari could be devious, indeed.

"Straight." Hikari smiled. And then there was one . . .

"Your turn, Iori!" The young boy turned to Miyako.

"Miyako?"

"Dare!"

"I dare you to drink all of the prune juice in my drink bottle!" Miyako gasped, then tried to smile sweetly.

"Then what are you going to drink?" 

"Water. Drink up, Miyako!" Everyone laughed as the young lady swallowed the contents of the bottle, a look of sheer disgust on her face.

"Taichi, your turn." Taichi thought for a second.

"Dare." Miyako smiled.

"Kiss Daisuke." Taichi's eyes widened. Daisuke?! He heard Ken growl.

"Why must _everyone_ kiss _my_ boyfriend?!" Daisuke smiled at Ken. Everyone looked at the two, nodding their heads. It had become so obvious those two were going out, it was barely a surprise.

"She didn't say 'on the lips,' Ken!" Everyone laughed as Taichi kissed the young boy on the cheek.

"Alright!" Taichi said. "My turn! Kari!" He looked at her sister, his face expressionless. Hikari had to think a second before answering. Taichi was dangerous at this game . . .

"Um . . . truth?" Taichi's eyes narrowed. Hikari took a long swig of her beer. Uh oh.

"Are you going out with Matt?" Hikari spat her beer out in a spray and nearly choked. 

"WHAT?!" The young woman looked around the room, only to see that everyone was staring at her in wait of her answer. Apparently Taichi wasn't the only one with such an idea. The only one who didn't look curious was a totally horrified looking Yamato, his jaw slack and his eyes wide. Hikari looked her brother in the eye.

"No, Tai . . . I'm not going out with Matt. What gave you that idea?" Everyone started speaking at once, and Hikari and Yamato just looked at all of their friends in surprise. They all thought they were going out!? 

"Tai, Kari and I . . . we're not . . . we'll never go out. . ." Yamato said quietly, and everyone shut up. He sighed and looked to the floor as everyone looked at him. 

"Tai, I'm gay." Silence. Complete silence. The only one who wasn't shocked by Yamato's confession was Hikari, and she just looked at her friend with soft eyes. She gasped as she noticed the blonde was shedding tears. Her head whipped around as she heard her brother get up from where he was sitting.

Taichi walked up to Yamato and then knelt down next to the blue-eyed boy. He shakily put his hand on Yamato's shoulder.

"Yama . . .it's okay." Yamato gasped and looked up at the boy he loved, comforted by his reassuring smile, warmed by the way he had said his name. Yamato smiled.

"I . . .know. I've just been hiding it for _so long_. . ." Taichi looked at Yamato.

"H-how long?" Yamato sighed. 

"Almost six years." Taichi's eyes widened. Six years?! He watched as Yamato shifted uncomfortably and averted his eyes from Taichi's chocolate brown. Not yet. He wasn't ready to say everything yet. Hikari must have noticed this, and spoke up.

"Who wants cake?" She said loudly, breaking Taichi and Yamato from their reverie. Everyone got up and made their way to the kitchen. Taichi and Yamato didn't move for a moment until the brunette stood up and held out his hand to the blonde. The sapphire-eyed boy looked up to his friend and took his hand. Taichi lifted the other boy to his feet and smiled at him. Yamato looked away, and then spoke up.

"Are you really going to be leaving for Spain soon?" Taichi looked at Yamato quizzically. 

"Who told you that?" Yamato's head shot up and he looked Taichi in the eye.

"Hikari. She said you were talking to your parents about leaving in a month." Taichi laughed out loud at this, and shook his head.

"I'm going for a week, Matt, that's it. I promised one of my fans that I'd visit him in the hospital. The poor kid has cancer. He wrote to me and I told him I'd come after the soccer season was over." Taichi shook his head. "Let me guess, Hikari over exaggerated." Yamato smiled.

"Yeah . . .but Tai . . ." the blonde started. "What are you going to do when your year is up? Are you going back to Ireland?" Taichi looked at his friend and sighed.

"I don't know yet. My contract's done with them; they may trade me. Actually, I asked them to." Yamato looked at Taichi questioningly. 

"Where do you want do go?" Taichi rolled his eyes and laughed. 

"Right now? Right now I want to go to the kitchen and have some cake, okay?" Yamato grinned.

"Yeah, I guess we should do that, huh?" Yamato smiled until Taichi grinned and gave the blonde a noogie. Yamato in turn glared at him and started chasing him towards the kitchen.

"Taichi! What have I told you about messing up my hair!!"

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TBC

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^_^ Hee hee. I updated kinda early, huh? Lol. Well, lets estimate the next chapter at Friday, shall we? Give or take. Again, updates will be on my author page.

Please read and review! See what encouragement gets you? Two chapters, two days, how can you go wrong? ^_^ I'm such a review glutton. 

Ja! 

Sailor Red


	6. Pain

Taking Over Me

Chapter 6

By Sailor Red

**_IMPORTANT Author's Note!!!!  _**

I have to make sure that everyone knows how the Japanese use names, as it's important to some of this chapter. Between friends, -chan is used for females, -kun is used for males. –san is used for people you don't know very well, and is rather formal. It's the suffix you'd use for your boss, someone else's parent, or just the random guy with a nametag you bump into on the street. Generally, -kun or –chan will be used for classmates, -san is nearly unheard of among peers, unless they are upperclassmen or student body members. Therefore, calling a friend –san, is a very, very harsh thing to do.

On with the fic! I don't own Digimon! However, Digimon does seem to own _me_ right now. -_-;

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"Sleepover?" Mr. Ishida sighed over the phone. "How many?" Yamato smiled. It seemed his father was going to 'okay' Hikari's idea. The young woman suggested it after realizing that some of the digidestined were a little too . . . rowdy . . . to head home.

"Five. Hikari, Mimi, Sora, Taichi, and Takeru want to stay. Everyone else has gone home." Yamato mentally crossed his fingers. He really didn't want to send his friends packing. 

"Alright, just keep it PG-13." Yamato's eyes widened. 

"DAD!!" Mr. Ishida chuckled. 

"Well, come on Matt, I know Takeru's pretty fond of Hikari, and you've got a thing for . . ."

"Dad! Quit it!" Mr. Ishida laughed, said his goodbye, and hung up. Yamato rolled his eyes and headed back to the living room. Sora, Mimi, and Hikari were sitting on the floor chatting with each other loudly. Takeru was flipping through movies, trying to pick one to watch, and Taichi was sitting on the couch, looking deep in thought and smiling. 

Yamato sighed and plopped onto the couch, breaking Taichi out of his reverie.

"So?" The brunette asked, still smiling. Yamato leaned back into the couch and stretched. He let his arms drop on the top of the couch, leaving one of his arms practically around Taichi.

"He said you all could stay." Yamato looked to his friend, and, noticing where he had put his arm, pulled it away, a blush creeping up on his cheeks. Taichi choked back a laugh.

"Why'd you move?" The blonde haired boy jumped and tried to think of a valid excuse for his irrational behavior. He opened his mouth, and then closed it as nothing was coming out of it. Taichi looked at his friend quizzically, and then sighed. 

"Whatever Matt. If you're really that embarrassed to have your arm around a guy, then I understand . . ." Taichi said sarcastically, grinning. Yamato turned to him and glared, then smiled mischievously, grabbed the brunette into a headlock, and gave him a noogie. Taichi laughed.

"What was that for?!" Yamato smiled sweetly.

"Revenge." Taichi narrowed his eyes, still laughing.

"You just wait Ishida! I've got you for the whole night. We'll see who gets the last laugh!" Yamato smiled at the boy, and then realizing that he still had his arm around the other, pushed him away playfully.

"Bring it on, Yagami."

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Taichi noticed himself becoming bolder with the blonde haired boy that sat next to him. When Takeru had finally picked a movie, Taichi scooted closer to the younger digidestined's brother, and could've sworn he'd seen Yamato blush. He smiled internally at that, taking it as some sort of sign that maybe, just maybe, his best friend might be liking the fact that he was so close. 

Yamato snuck a quick glance at the brunette next to him, the one who had suddenly decided that it would be a good idea to get closer. He mentally had to force control upon himself; he knew he must have been blushing. 'Is this the game you're playing, Tai?' he thought to himself, a smile creeping up on his face. 'You can do what you want, but I'm not playing.' 

Yamato nearly jumped when the brunette put his head on his shoulder. He looked to the boy with wide eyes, and then got up out of his seat, causing Taichi to nearly fall over. Guilt flashed through him momentarily, but he pushed it away and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. 

What the hell was Taichi thinking?! Oh, right, he probably wasn't thinking at all. The brunette _had_ had quite a bit to drink tonight . . .

Yamato nearly had tears in his eyes at this thought, and gulped down an entire glass of water in one go. Of course Taichi wouldn't do this sober. What in the world was making Yamato think otherwise?!

"Why'd you get up?" Yamato spun around at the sound of Taichi's voice, and nearly dropped his glass. 

"Water." The blonde replied, pointing to said glass in hand. Taichi sighed, ran his hand through his hair, and looked down at the floor.

"Oh." One word was his only reply, and he walked back out of the room with that one word echoing in Yamato's ears.

Taichi had sounded so miserable . . . Yamato's heart felt like it had been shoved into a vice. Taichi was _never_ supposed to be upset, at the very least, he never showed it. Was it him who had made the spiky haired boy speak in a tone like that? He clenched the glass in his hand, and then slammed it on the counter without thinking. 

He yelled out in pain when the glass broke, cutting him across his hand. Within seconds, Taichi was in the room, looking at his friend with wide eyes.

"Matt! Are you okay?!" Yamato cursed to himself and began picking up pieces of glass.

"I'm fine." Taichi looked at the boy in disbelief. 

"You are _not_ fine, Yama! You're bleeding!" Yamato jumped at Taichi's use of his nickname, and looked to him, only to gasp at the tears forming in the corners of chocolate eyes.

"I-it's no big deal, Tai. It's only a cut. Don't get so emotional." The words came out much harsher than Yamato had meant, and Taichi pulled back as if he'd been the one who was injured. The brunette growled.

"Well, sorry I cared, _Ishida-san_." Yamato flew to a standing position at that, tears falling unhindered from his eyes, his heart, his world, feeling as if it had been torn in two. Ishida-san?! How could he call him that? 

"I-ishida . . . _san_!" Yamato squeaked the name Taichi had called him, looked at the brunette with broken eyes, and ran to his room, slamming the door.

Taichi stood in shock, cursing himself, feeling tears roll down his cheeks. What the hell had he done?!

"Tai, what's going on?" Hikari watched as her brother dropped to his knees, and she ran over to him as the boy slumped over in her arms.

"TAICHI?!" 

Taichi had passed out.

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"Matt! Matt! Come out _now_!" Hikari had venom in her voice; she stared at the door as if her eyes would burn it down. She pounded on the door, and tried to turn the knob, growling when it wouldn't open. Sora came running over to Hikari, and joined the younger girl in her yelling.

"Ishida Yamato, open the door, or I'll break it down!" Hikari stared at Sora with wide eyes. Sora seemed to be as angry as she was. An answer finally came from inside.

"Go away!" Hikari clenched the doorknob with white knuckled hands.

"Matt, Tai's passed out! Aren't you at least worried?!" The younger woman shrieked, and the doorknob was ripped out of her hand as the door was opened.

"WHAT?" Yamato ran out of his room and past the two women in the hall towards the living room where Taichi was laid on the couch. That stupid, stupid, moron! Yamato had known he had drunk too much! He growled as he realized that the boy was on his back. Didn't those women know that you never put a drunk on his back?! He could choke on his own puke!

Hikari, Sora, Takeru, and Mimi watched as Yamato quickly rolled the brunette boy onto his side, and then shook him gently.

"Taichi! Tai! Wake up!" The worry in Yamato's voice was evident, and Mimi and Sora gasped at the urgency in it. They heard the brown haired boy choke, and soon after, Yamato was yelling for a bucket. Hikari quickly fetched one; Yamato thanked her, and then stood up. He looked at the bearer of light, and clenched his fist.

"Keep him on his side, don't let him fall asleep again 'til he's done puking. I'll be in my room." He growled at Hikari, then continued, "I told you . . . I told you not to bring so much alcohol. It's not your fault he drank so much, but it is your fault for giving him the means to. Tell him when he's conscious enough that _Ishida-san_ doesn't want to talk to him for a while. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a hand to bandage." With that, Yamato left the room, leaving Sora, Takeru, and Mimi slack jawed, and Hikari with tears in her eyes. Taichi simply vomited into his bucket.

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Taichi didn't know he could puke so much. The last time he had gotten this bad was his eighteenth birthday, when he hadn't known his limit. He did know his limit now, so he was angry with himself for exceeding it. He wouldn't forget this time, though. He wouldn't allow himself to forget tonight. 

He couldn't forget he had to apologize to Yamato in the morning. Taichi knew that the sapphire-eyed boy was angry with him. He had the right to be. 

What in the world had possessed Taichi to call his best friend such a formal name? He had called the man he loved the name of an elder, an acquaintance, a stranger! 

The thought of that made him vomit harder into the bucket Hikari was so kindly holding for him. 

Damn it, he shouldn't have eaten that cake. Oh well, at least he wasn't dry heaving.

Taichi tried to chuckle, but choked.

He had spoken too soon.

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Yamato tried to drown out the sounds of Taichi retching in the living room. He would have used his pillow to cover his ears, but he was too busy crying into it to move. How could Taichi be so cruel? How could he go from one extreme to another so quickly? First he called him 'Yama,' and then . . . and then 'Ishida-san.' The memory of Taichi saying his name echoed louder than all the gagging in the background, and Yamato started his tears anew. He punched his bandaged hand against the headboard, and barely registered the physical pain through the emotional coursing throughout him. 

Taichi may have been drunk, but that was no excuse. That was no excuse at all. 

Yamato fell asleep clutching his pillow, tears still falling from shattered sapphire eyes.

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Taichi looked up at his sister, who was half asleep, but still holding the bucket. The brunette man smiled softly at the young girl, and sat up. Hikari gasped when her brother moved, and nearly started to cry when she looked into his eyes. 

They looked so . . . dead . . .

Hikari started to speak, but stopped when Taichi held up his hand and solemnly took the bucket away from her, nodding a silent 'thank you'. 

"Get some sleep, Kari." Taichi whispered to his sister and watched as she nodded. He then walked to the bathroom to dispose of the bucket's contents. It was the least he could do. It was the very least. 

After finishing his task, Taichi numbly walked up to Yamato's bedroom door and knocked softly. When he received no response, he opened the door slowly and peeked in on his friend.

Taichi's hand went to his mouth to suppress the gasp that came from it. Yamato's face was a portrait of pain; tear trails were visible by the light of the moon. Taichi felt the urge to vomit again and ran out of the room and into the bathroom, dry heaving.

_He_ had caused Yamato that pain. _He_ had caused the person he cared about more than anyone else, to suffer. He should have never come back from Ireland. He should have stayed there, in that hellhole with Sean. Sean had been right all along. 

Taichi didn't deserve to be loved by anyone.

With that thought, he succumbed to sleep, sprawled on the bathroom floor. 

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TBC . . . . NOT!! Thanks to FF.net being down, you get a bonus two pages!! YAY!! ^_^

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Yamato woke to the sound of birds chirping outside, a gentle breeze coming through his window. It was far too cheerful out for his mood.

The second the blonde had woken up, he was mentally attacked by the memory of the night before. 

_"Well, sorry I cared, **Ishida-san**."_ _Ishida-san. The words echoed throughout him. _

Obviously, the brunette boy _didn't_ care. Why else would he have called him –san?! Taichi didn't even call his upper classmates –san!

 Yamato sighed and started rummaging through his closet for his outfit of the day. He ended up pulling out a black pair of jeans and a black mock turtleneck. It matched his mood. He slipped into the fresh pair of pants, and was about to throw on his shirt, when Taichi came storming into his room. 

The spiky haired boy started to speak when he saw his friend standing shirtless and glaring at him from across the room. Taichi didn't even get a chance to say a word.

"Stop gawking at me and get the hell out." Yamato's tone was flat and angry, and Taichi winced.

"I . . ." 

"GET OUT!" The blonde seethed, and Taichi turned around and ran out of the room. Yamato pulled his shirt on and slammed his closet door shut, brushed his hair quickly, and walked toward the living room where Taichi was sitting on the couch and staring at the ceiling. Yamato saw that everyone else had left and walked up to the brunette, scowling.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked Taichi coldly, and Taichi looked at his friend tiredly. 

"I wanted to apologize." The brown haired boy said quietly, defeated. Yamato felt his anger start to drop slightly. However . . .

"Don't bother. It won't change anything." Yamato sighed. "I think you should leave." Taichi bolted to his feet, walked up to the blonde, and stared at him in the face. The boy was only inches away.

"I will then." Yamato felt his heart sink. Oh God. 

"I'm leaving, Yama. This time, I'm not coming back." The blonde had to force back tears, his mind screaming at him: 'No! Oh God, No!' 

Taichi didn't move. He seemed to be studying his friend's features, searching for anything that would ask him to stay. The slightest trace was all he needed, but he couldn't see it. Yamato had gotten far too good at covering up his emotions. Either that, or he simply didn't have any towards him. Taichi sighed and tried, unsuccessfully, to hold back the tears coming from his eyes. They fell in waterfalls down his cheeks, and he knew he couldn't hold even one of them back.

"T-Taichi . . ." 

"Stop, Yama. I'm sorry for what I said last night. I really am . . . but I have to go." Yamato finally melted.

"Why?" Taichi took a step back and wiped his eyes quickly with his shirtsleeve. The tears continued coming. The brunette clenched hands into fists.

"I don't belong here anymore. The party showed me that. Everyone's moved on without me, and now I'm just everyone's third wheel. I just get in the way." 

"No you don't!" Taichi's eyes widened at Yamato's outburst. He frowned.

"Yes I do. I'm making everyone miserable. Even you. I hurt you last night Yama, and that's something I promised myself I'd never do. I made you cry yourself to sleep, and I hate myself for it." Yamato gasped. 

"I'm leaving tonight." Taichi turned to leave, but Yamato caught his arm.

"No one wants you to leave." Taichi looked at the other man quizzically.

"You just flat out told me to not even five minutes ago!" Yamato growled.

"I meant for you to leave for a day maybe, not forever!" Taichi looked to the floor and shook his head, before stepping closer to Yamato and giving him a weak hug. Yamato felt tears sting his eyes and hugged the other boy tightly. Taichi gasped and tightened his grip on Yamato.

"Find me, then." Taichi whispered in the blonde's ear. "I'll be somewhere in Spain." The spiky haired boy released Yamato from their hug, and looked into blue eyes, his hands still on the other boy's waist.

"Prove to me that I'm wanted here. Show me that you all still care." With that, Taichi pulled the blonde closer and kissed him softly on the lips. 

"Prove to me that someone over here loves me enough to make me come back." Taichi smiled at his best friend, released him and walked out the door.

Yamato stood frozen, a bright red blush lining his cheeks, his hand unconsciously rising to touch his lips, tears cascading down his face. 

He had to start saving some money. He needed to get to Spain and he needed to do it soon.

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TBC

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Yup, you guys got a couple of extra pages due to ff.net not wanting to let me upload. ^_^ I'm happier now. I didn't like where I originally ended this chapter. 

Yawn. I don't even know when the next chapter will be up. I'm officially too tired to think. I'll let you know on my author page tomorrow what's up with my update schedule. 

Yeesh this chappie got some major angst on! I made up for it in the end, I think. 

Please Review!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!! I try to be nice to you! I've been a good girl! C'mon, gimme some love folks! 

PS Thanks to all the wonderful people who don't need the begging and review me anyway: CCPheonix, Sillie, Angel Chick, Silent Angel, Emiru Yagami, Nine, Babydragon, Lady Dragon Daiken Priestess, and matt4ever . . . just to name a few. You guys all rock!


	7. Anything to Find You

Taking Over Me 

Chapter 7

By Sailor Red

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. 'nuff said.

AN: I am the worst author in the world!! I am so sorry about my lack of updating on this fic. God, it's been nearly two weeks!! Gomen nasai!!

A lot of stuff popped up that took me away from the computer. My work schedule's been a mess, an old friend popped up from being away for half a year, I fell in a parking lot and had to go to the ER to check on my baby, and last but not least, there's the damn Harry Potter book that I was glued to for two days, all of which got in my way of writing. 

I think everything's calmed down now and I should be able to pop out chapters much more easily and quickly. Again, I am very sorry for the delay!! On to writing!!

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It had been two months. Two months had passed since Yamato had seen Taichi, two months since the chocolate haired boy had kissed the blonde and issued his challenge. 

_"Find me, then . . ._ _I'll be somewhere in Spain . . . Prove to me that I'm wanted here. Show me that you all still care. Prove to me that someone over here loves me enough to make me come back."_

Yamato shook his head to clear it and looked back down at his assignment. It was his last day in college for the semester, and he was stuck in his poetry class for his final exam. Once he got out of school for the summer he could do whatever he wanted.

Once he got out of this damn class, he could leave for Spain.

First however, he had to read his poetry to the class. He cursed his sensei silently for the teacher's love of oral presentations. At least he wouldn't be reading this poem to Taichi.

"Ishida-san. You're up." Yamato cringed at the teacher's cheerful, almost mocking voice. Sighing, he picked his paper up off of his desk and made his way to the front of the room. 

_'It's just like singing onstage, Matt, you can do this.' _Yamato chuckled to himself, the tone ringing itself sarcastic in his head. It would be like singing onstage, except these people weren't strangers, and he could _see_ them. Onstage, he didn't know more than a hundredth of the audience, and the lights hid them from view. It was like singing in the shower or singing with the radio in his empty apartment. Here, in front of all of his classmates, it felt like he was being stared through. It was like the class was trying to pull him apart with their eyes, to claw through his defenses and leave him bleeding and dying on the tiled floor.

He had to do this, though. If not, he'd have to do it all over again next semester. He sure as hell didn't want to do _that_!

The blonde gulped, and took a deep breath. 

_"You led me through this world unknown, _

_You made me see what's real,_

_You made me open locked up eyes,_

_And showed me how to feel._

_"And then you disappeared one day,_

_and took away my soul._

_You took with you my heart that day,_

_And left my world not whole. _

_"So tomorrow I leave looking _

_And I'll find you, love, I'm sure._

_There's nothing that can stop me now_

_No pain I can't endure._

_"Soon I'll get to tell you_

_this thing I've hidden now for years,_

_and pray with everything I have_

_you won't leave me there in tears._

_"I'll lead you though this world unknown,_

_and make you see what's real,_

_I'll make you open locked up eyes,_

_And show you how to feel."_

Yamato closed his eyes, opened them and smiled. The class was looking at him, some of them forming tears, until they started clapping. Yamato turned to the teacher and the man smiled.

"Excellent, Ishida-san. You may sit down. Izuki-san! Your turn!"

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"Matt!" Hikari ran up to the blonde as he was shutting the door behind him. The woman smiled and then held out her hand. "Let me help you with that!" 

Yamato was struggling with his luggage and smiled at the young woman, handing her his carry on bag. 

"Thanks. Not to be rude Kari, but what are you doing here?" Hikari rolled her eyes and grinned. 

"Well, Mom thought you might like a ride to the airport. I mean, you are chasing after her insane son!" Yamato's eyes widened. 

"What did you tell her?!"

"That you're going to Spain to see Tai. Nothing more, silly!" Hikari laughed at the relief on Yamato's face, and he scowled. 

"I really wish you wouldn't freak me out like that." Yamato said. Hikari just smiled.

"You freak _yourself _out, Matt. She'll have to know one of these days." Yamato shook his head.

"Yeah, but I'd prefer her to know _after_ I get Tai's reaction. There's no point in her knowing if nothing happens." Yamato looked to the floor and Hikari smiled gently.

"I'm sure he loves you, Matt." The boy shook his head.

"You can only say that if he hasn't told you." Hikari looked at the blonde questioningly. 

"Huh?" Yamato smiled through sad eyes.

"You're too good a secret keeper, Kari. If Tai had told you that he loves me, than you wouldn't be saying things like that. The only one who knows how Tai feels about me then, is Tai." The girl looked to her sneakers. Yamato was right. Taichi never had answered her question. She didn't know for sure if her brother was in love with the blonde haired guitarist, she just hoped that he was. There had been all sorts of signs that he felt more than friendship towards the other man, but he had never said anything about them. Perhaps the brunette boy had realized how close Hikari and her brother's best friend had gotten, and didn't want to risk her blabbing to the sapphire-eyed boy. She scowled to herself. Stupid Taichi didn't trust her. She sighed and hid behind the smile she showed to Yamato.

"We should get going, Matt. We don't want you to miss your flight, now do we?"

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Yamato sat back in his seat on the plane, headphones blaring in his ear in a vain attempt to block out the sounds of the wailing children next to him. 

One more hour and he'd be in Spain, one more hour and he could start his search for the man he loved.

Yamato sighed. This flight was taking too long. He just wanted to get the hell off of the plane and find Taichi. Where to begin?

The blonde frowned and reached into his pocket for a mint and touched paper. With furrowed brows and a confused look, he pulled the folded eight by ten out of his pocket. 

It seemed to be a note. He quickly unfolded it and gasped. It was in Taichi's handwriting.

_Matt,_

_I sent this letter to Kari so that she could give it to you if you decided to come after me. I told her to give it to you only if you actually got on the plane. I wanted to make sure that you came after me because you wanted to, and not because of anything I may have implied. _

_If it took you any longer than a month to follow me, than I'll have already had my visit to that kid I told you about. I kind of figured it would take you longer than that, so I was worried about you being able to find me. _

_The only thing I can suggest to you is to watch TV. I'm not exactly a low profile person lately, especially with the popularity of Soccer over here. Oh! Right, they call it futbol here, so listen for that. Other than the whole TV thing, you know me pretty well, so you'll probably be able to recognize places that I'd hang out. _

_I move around a lot or I'd give you better info. Find me soon, Matt. I miss you._

_Tai_

Yamato stared at the paper in his hands in disbelief. Hikari must have slipped it into his pocket when he wasn't looking. He wasn't angry at the woman, but he was a little upset at Taichi. 

Why didn't he just tell him where he was? It was obvious that the blonde cared about him simply owing to the fact that he had flown all the way out here to find the brunette! Why couldn't he give him better clues?! Watch TV! HA!

Was this all just a game to Taichi? Was he just trying to play with Yamato's head?

No. Yamato answered himself. No. Taichi was probably just didn't know where he'd be by the time Yamato came after him, and therefore couldn't give him a location. Yamato sighed and pulled his headphones off, just in time to hear that the plane was landing.

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Yamato silently thanked his Spanish professor as he got off the plane and saw somebody frantically trying to find a translator. He also thanked his college that he'd been angry at for forcing the language on him as a requirement for his field. Thank God Taichi hadn't chosen Germany or France, or else he'd be in some serious trouble. 

Yamato purchased a map of the local area and went looking for his hotel. He didn't feel like grabbing a cab as he figured it would be better to get an idea of his surroundings. Upon reaching the place he would be staying, he plopped on the bed and turned on the TV, searching for a station that interested him. He finally settled on the local news. 

There was nothing that gave him any clues. The reports were of a fire and some local church having problems with their clergy. Oh, and some lady had quintuplets. Joy.

Yamato growled and turned off the television, then reopened his map scanning for local interest spots. There were a couple of parks and other general attractions listed, but nothing really popped up at him.  He sighed and looked at the clock. It was only eleven in the afternoon.

His body demanded sleep, but he refused to listen to it. He had to at least look a little bit beforehand for his friend. The blonde decided on a park that wasn't too far away from his hotel. It was something to do.

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The park had all the things Yamato would have expected seeing anywhere else. There were children playing, birds singing, and _gasp! _trees. The blonde was highly unimpressed. 

The sapphire-eyed boy sat on an unoccupied swing and watched children play in the field beside him. Was he ever that innocent? Was he ever carefree enough to just goof off and have fun? It didn't seem like it at the moment. All he could think about was finding his friend and the hopelessness of locating him in an area this large suffocated him. He kicked at the dirt below his feet and sighed, then got up and walked farther into the tree filled area. 

It really was a beautiful park, but he couldn't seem to appreciate it. He just walked, staring blankly ahead, thoughtless. Finally, he reached the end of the wooded area to find a lake and he stood at the shore, skipping stones across its surface, just to kill time. 

"Hey mister! What are you doing?" Yamato turned around to face a girl who seemed to be about ten years of age, looking at him quizzically. The blonde sighed.

"I'm looking for a friend." The young child laughed.

"Well, you're not going to find him in the lake!!" Yamato's eyes widened and he felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth. 

"Where do young people hang out here?" The kid looked at him and smiled.

"You have a funny accent, mister. You're not from around here, are ya?" Yamato smiled.

"No. No I'm not. I came here looking for someone, but I don't know where to start." The child picked up a pebble and threw it into the water, frowning as it sank immediately. 

"Who you looking for?" The child asked. Yamato smiled.

"A boy named Taichi Yagami. Know of him?" The little girl looked at Yamato as if he had a few extra limbs. 

"He plays soccer . . . right?" Yamato's eyes widened. 

"Yeah . . ." Yamato started and the little girl smiled. 

"He's playing a charity game tonight in this park. You know the field over there, the one near the swings with all the bleachers? Right there." The little girl said matter-of-factly, and smiled broadly. She frowned again as she tried once more, unsuccessfully to skip a rock across the lake. When her new little friend hadn't responded she looked to him and saw him slack jawed.

"Mister, are you okay?" Yamato shook himself out of his stupor and smiled broadly, tears starting to form in the corner of his eyes. He'd see Taichi tonight!! 

"Yeah. Yeah! I'm great." The blonde watched as the child tried again with her rocks. He smiled at her and then knelt down to her eye level. 

"Hey, little girl . . ."

"Carmen!" The girl said, smiling.

"Okay, Carmen, why don't I help and teach you how to skip the rocks, since you've been such a great help to me . . ." Carmen smiled brightly, jumping up and down. 

"Would you!! I saw you do it, and it just looked really cool!"

Yamato looked at the little girl and beamed. 

He sure hoped he had been that innocent and wonderful when he was her age. She had no idea what her information had meant to him, she just helped him out because she knew she could. It was absolutely amazing, and Yamato had to thank her, even if it was as simple as showing her how to skip rocks. 

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Yamato and Carmen stayed at the lake for a couple hours, having fun and talking. She had explained to him that the reason she had known of Taichi was because her brother had been the one that the brown haired digidestined had visited in the hospital. She also told him that this soccer game was to raise money to find a cure for her brother and all of the other people who had the same disease. 

Finally their conversation ended, as the little girl's mother came running to the lake looking for her daughter. She seemed to be distraught. Carmen smiled at her mother.

"Hi Mama! Where've you been?" Her mother blinked. She had been about to ask her daughter the same question. 

"I've been looking for you!!" The little girl looked down at the grass. 

"Sorry Mama, I kind of lost my way so I stayed where I was so I wouldn't get more lost." Carmen smiled. "Just like you told me to do!" The woman grinned and shook her head at the child.

"I'm just glad you're okay. Who's your friend?" Carmen's mother asked and the little girl smiled and answered:

"He's my buddy! His name's Matt! I met him back here and he showed me how to skip rocks. Oh, and he's Mr. Tai's friend too!" The older woman smiled and looked at Yamato. 

"Thank you for looking after my daughter." Yamato waved her thanks away. 

"It was nothing, really. She actually helped _me_ out." Carmen's mother looked at her daughter and then back to Yamato. 

"How so?" The blonde smiled.

"I came here looking for Tai, and she told me about the game he's playing tonight. I never expected to be able to find him so fast!" The woman's eyes widened.

"Oh, goodness! Sir, you'd better get up there then, the game's almost over!" Yamato gasped and broke into a run, yelling his thanks and farewells to the two wonderful people that had been so helpful.

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Yamato reached the field to see a minute left on the clock. He looked frantically across the area of play for a familiar spiky haired boy and froze. 

There he was. Taichi was dribbling the ball mid field and then passing it to one of his teammates. Yamato just stood in shock, watching from the sidelines, his mouth going dry, his world seeming to spin around him. Taichi. He found Taichi! 

He watched the clock tick down. In thirty more seconds he'd be able to talk to his friend. In thirty more excruciating seconds . . .

He'd be able to tell his best friend _everything._

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TBC

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Hey minna, sorry for the cliffy, I just wanted to get something up! I'll have the next chappie up asap, which will probably be Friday. 

Ja!

Sailor Red


	8. Love in a Soccer Field

Taking Over Me

Chapter 8

By Sailor Red   

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Yamato almost fell over when Carmen ran into him from behind. The blonde turned to the little girl and caught her before she fell backwards. 

"You run too fast, mister!" The little girl said, attempting to catch her breath. "Why'd you run off?" Yamato smiled at the child and pointed to the clock. There were only ten seconds left in the game. Carmen's eyes widened, and she took off running towards the front row of bleachers while Yamato watched her in confusion. 

Carmen's actions were made clear when the buzzer sounded. The entire front row held up letters that said "Muchos Gracias" in bright primary colors. 

Immediately after the sign was dropped, the group of children ran onto the field to chat with their favorite player. Yamato watched as many of the young people ran up to Taichi, and smiled as the brunette lifted one of the young boys onto his shoulders. 

Yamato was about to walk over to Taichi when a man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties came up to Taichi and put an arm around the other boy's waist. The man was tall, muscular, and broad shouldered with short red hair and piercing emerald eyes. Yamato watched in horror as the red haired man whispered something in Taichi's ear and then kissed the brown-eyed man on the cheek. The blond was on the verge of vomiting when Taichi turned to the other man and smiled toothily at him. Yamato turned to run away when he heard Carmen's voice from across the field.

"Mr. Matt!" the little girl yelled. "Come and play!" Yamato spun to see Carmen waving to him from a position inches from Taichi. The blonde looked behind her to see Taichi, eyes wide and jaw slack. The brunette shook his shock off of his face and put the boy on his shoulders back onto the ground, looking at Yamato with unreadable eyes.

Yamato now did not have the option to run. Taichi had seen him and now there was no choice but to talk to the other man. The blonde shoved his hands into his pockets to hide their violent shaking, and walked to where the brunette was standing. 

A whistle blew from the sidelines, signaling to the children that it was time to leave. Yamato watched, still half dazed as the boys and girls ran off of the field and towards their prospective busses. Carmen waved as she ran off, and weakly, Yamato returned the gesture. He then turned back to Taichi, who smiled.

"It's good to see you." The brunette said, and the blonde dejectedly kicked at the grass, a clump coming up under his shoe. 

"Whatever." The sapphire-eyed boy replied. He knew he was being childish, but at the moment he didn't care. The presence of the redhead beside Taichi was draining all of the energy from him. All of the happiness he had felt at the first sight of his brunette friend had disappeared when he had seen him being kissed by his emerald-eyed companion.

"You came all the way here to say that?" Narrowed blue eyes met angry dark green. Who the hell was this jerk? Yamato thought his anger and jealousy couldn't get any worse when Taichi spoke up and proved him wrong.

"Leave him alone, Sean. I'm sure he has his reasons to be upset." Taichi said and Yamato felt his calm explode.

"_SEAN!"_ The blonde seethed. He turned to Taichi. "What the _hell_ is going on?!" 

The brunette gasped and took a step back. Why was Yamato so angry? Did he think that . . . Oh. He thought that he and Sean was an item again?

"Yama, I think you've misunderstood . . ."

"Don't 'Yama' me, Taichi! I come all the way from Japan to find your sorry ass, I spend two months, yeah, two _fucking_ months saving and planning just to get over here, and when I get here I find you and . . ." Yamato lifted a shaking hand and pointed angrily at Sean. ". . . and this _bastard_ acting all lovey-dovey on a soccer field!"

"Jealous much?" Sean sneered. Taichi had to hold Yamato back from decking the red headed man. 

"Yamato! Cut it out!" Taichi felt the blonde relax in his grip and let him go. He spun the blue-eyed boy around, gripped his shoulders and stared into his eyes.

"Sean plays for Spain. He was here representing for his team." Yamato glared at the chocolate-eyed boy. 

"That doesn't explain why he kissed you." Taichi's eyes widened. Sean laughed. 

"You're flipping out about a little congratulatory kiss? It was just force of habit. God, you're fucking crazy! No wonder Taichi . . ."

"Sean. Shut _up!_" Taichi hissed at the red head. The emerald-eyed man simply shrugged.

"Look, I have to get going, anyway." He turned to Yamato. "I'd say it's nice to meet you, but, well, it wasn't." Taichi felt Yamato's muscles tense once again and held onto the blonde tighter. 

"Likewise." The blue-eyed man said through clenched teeth. Sean turned once more to Taichi and smiled.

"You've found yourself a real firecracker there . . . cute too!" Taichi growled.

"_Sean!" _The red-haired man just laughed and walked off, whistling. 

Taichi sighed and released Yamato, shaking his head. Yamato glared at the brunette. 

"Tai, do you still love that bastard?" Taichi couldn't help it. He burst out laughing.

"Love him?! _Sean?_ I never _loved_ him, Yama! I _liked _him. The relationship had its perks, but that's about it!" Taichi smiled and looked at his best friend. 

"You know what Matt, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were _jealous_ of Sean!" Yamato rolled his eyes in a vain attempt to hide his shock.

"Whatever." The blonde cursed himself. What was that now, opportunity number 234 for him to confess to his best friend about his feelings? Why the hell couldn't he do it?

Taichi looked at Yamato and frowned. He just couldn't get a straight answer out of the man! Fine. It was time to play dirty.

"So why did you come here, Yama?" Taichi watched in satisfaction as the blonde jumped and looked at him apprehensively.

"Be-because you challenged me to bring you back?" Yamato answered, and Taichi smiled evilly.

"No . . . what I think I said was . . ." The brunette paused to watch his friend's uneasiness. God this was fun. "What I said was: "Prove to me that someone over here loves me enough to bring me back." Taichi smiled. "Or something like that." 

"Tai . . ." Yamato gulped. This was getting awkward . . .

"So," Taichi started, took a deep breath to soothe his nerves. He was going to do this, and he was going to do this now.

"So the question I have to ask is: Are you that person, Yama?" Yamato's world froze. He found himself completely and utterly unable to move. Taichi didn't seem to have that problem, as the brunette walked up to him slowly and put his arms around Yamato's waist. 

"Are you the person who loves me enough to make me go back?" Taichi smiled softly at his sapphire-eyed friend, lifting his hand to brush a blonde strand out of Yamato's eyes, then cupping his face, wiping away the single tear that traveled down it. 

"Do you love me, Yama-chan?" Yamato gasped and felt his eyes overflow with tears. He smiled at Taichi, getting lost in his deep brown eyes. He then threw his arms around the brunette's waist and pulled him close, holding him firmly against him, and kissed him passionately on his wonderful lips. 

"I _do_ love you, Tai. More than you'll ever know." Yamato said smiling, and Taichi held him tightly, his ear against the other boy's heart. 

"Why'd you take so long to tell me?" The blonde laughed through his tears. 

"That, I'll never know." Taichi smiled and released Yamato, then grabbed his hand.

"C'mon Yama, let's go home."

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Yamato had never had a better flight. Even the peanuts tasted like prime rib with Taichi sleeping next to him. Sure, the brunette was drooling on the blonde's new shirt, but he really didn't care. All of the stress, the worry, the pain, had disappeared when he had finally been able to confess to Taichi. Now, he was simply laid back in bliss, watching the childish in-flight movie, Taichi snoring softly on his shoulder. Yamato was sure that it couldn't get any better than this, and then, once again Taichi proved him wrong.

Yamato felt his shirt being clenched by Taichi's hand, a portion wrinkled in his grasp. The brunette sighed contentedly and rubbed his head against the blonde's chest, sleepily mumbling nearly incoherently. However, there was one moment where the boy spoke clear as day, and the sapphire-eyed boy nearly jumped for joy.

". . . love you Yama . . . love you lots . . ." 

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TBC? You tell me.

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Should I give you guys one more chapter, or do you like it where I left it? ^_^ Let me know. Sorry this is a day late, but my power went out yesterday and deleted half the file. I now save every paragraph. -_-; 

Anyway's Please review! If at least five people want another chapter than I'll do it. Otherwise I think it's good as it is. Lemme know! 

Oh, and sorry if anyone hacked on the fluffball . . . I tried to make it fluffy and not gaggy, but it's difficult!! 

Well, I'll be going then! Ja ne!

Sailor Red

Disclaimer: Digimon _still_ does not belong to me, but we'll see what happens once I take over the world! MWAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


	9. Zutto

Taking Over Me

Chapter 9

Finale

By Sailor Red

AN Well, I asked if you guys wanted another chapter, and got such a wonderful response that I just _had_ to write one. Thank you all for being so polite about it! There were no demands, just many "if you'd like to, that'd be great." That's just the kind of response I was hoping for. 

In regards to the other statement made multiple times, yes, I _do_ intend to write another Taito. Give me time to think up a new plot, and you shall see it up here soon. This is a very odd thing for me to do, as I tend to jump around with fandoms. Check out my author page to see what I mean. -_-; 

So without further ado . . . well, besides the whole "Digimon doesn't belong to me" disclaimer . . . here's the last installment of "Taking Over Me!"

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Hikari sighed as she plopped herself onto the couch, closing her eyes. She was worried. The young woman hadn't heard from either Taichi or Yamato in days, and she couldn't help but feel anxious for the both of them. Had Yamato found her brother yet? Had her blonde friend _finally_ told Taichi about his feelings? When was all this craziness going to end? Why didn't her brother just live up to his crest and tell Yamato how he felt? Hikari was _sure_ the brunette felt the same way as the blonde did! The young woman growled quietly.

"Taichi no baka!" 

"Good to know you love me, Kari." The brunette woman leapt out of her lounging position and spun to see a grinning messy haired boy, eyes glittering in mischief. She ran to him and gave him an enormous bear hug, tears stinging her eyes. Taichi laughed and returned her hug, until she pulled away from him, eyeing someone behind the brown-eyed digidestined. 

"Matt!" She exclaimed, and ran at the blonde, nearly knocking him over as she enveloped him in her arms. "You did it! You brought him back!" Yamato, upon regaining his balance, blushed slightly in discomfort and looked to Taichi to see the spiky haired boy smiling happily.

"Ne, Kari." Taichi said, grinning "Hands off my boyfriend!"

Hikari released Yamato, her eyes going wide, tears falling unhindered from chocolate pools. She simply couldn't stop smiling, and had to cover her mouth in her happiness, lest her relieved fits of giddy giggles come through. 

"Boyfriend? Oh god! You guys finally . . . Oh this is great!" Yamato laughed and grabbed Hikari, giving her an affectionate noogie. The woman squirmed, trying to get out of Yamato's grasp, and the blonde kindly released her.

"Actually Kari, I'm not his boyfriend." Yamato said to the young woman, and watched her face fall.

"You . . . you're not?" 

"Nope." The blonde smiled and Taichi walked over to him, put his arm around the sapphire-eyed boy, and grinned.

"Well, honestly, Kari . . . Yama-chan's right. He's not my boyfriend." Taichi looked to Yamato and then back at his sister.

"He's my fiancé." 

Hikari gasped, tears falling freely, her grin coming back to her face and spreading so wide she thought her face would crack. Yamato scratched his head and then dropped his arm to his side.

"That is . . ." The blonde said smiling ". . . if you don't mind having another brother . . ." 

The young woman didn't speak; she simply ran up to the two of them and squeezed them both tightly, crying into the boy's close shoulders.

"I . . . I'd love nothing more . . ." she looked at the two of them, looked at their elated expressions, and then once again, broke into joyous tears.

"I'd love nothing more than for you two to be together for the rest of your lives."

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"They're _WHAT?_" Hikari raised her eyebrow at Mimi's exclamation as she stirred sugar into her coffee. 

"They're getting married. _I_ don't see anything shocking about that . . ." Mimi sighed, sipped at her cappuccino, and placed the cup back on its saucer. 

"It's just . . . isn't it kind of . . . soon? I mean, they only just admit their feelings and now they're already thinking of marriage?" The brunette looked to her strawberry blonde-haired friend and smiled.

"Well, come on Mimi. It's not like they just met each other on the street! They've known each other since they were eleven, after all . . . and I know Matt's been in love with my brother for over five years . . . I really don't think it's strange at all!" Mimi sighed.

"You're right . . . I guess I'm just a little surprised that they moved so quickly. They _are_ perfect for each other though, I can't deny that!" Hikari giggled.

"Oh, you should see them! They still bicker like they always did . . . I'd dare say they do it more than ever! They're acting like they've been married for years!" Mimi shook her head and flipped a lock of hair behind her shoulder. 

"Honestly, Kari . . . they've always been that way, you know? Every single time those two are together they act like an old married couple. I can't believe I didn't see it for what it was . . . I must be slipping!" 

"_You_ must be slipping!" Sora said from behind Mimi, nearly causing Mimi to drop her cappuccino all over her lap. "_I'm_ supposed to be Ms. Crest of Love, and _I _didn't see it!" Hikari laughed.

"Well, that's because you had your eye on Matt and Matt only all those years ago."

"Did not!" Sora smiled and Hikari looked at her skeptically. 

"Oh, right, sure. What about the "Cookie Incident," Sora?" Sora laughed and sat down next to Mimi, carefully balancing her cup of tea so as not to let it spill. The bearer of love then rolled her eyes.

"Come on now, Kari, who _didn't _have a crush on Matt at one point or another?" 

"I know _I_ didn't!" Mimi nearly choked on her drink.

"Well, I suppose that's because _you_ were always too busy staring at his little brother!" 

"Mimi!" Hikari exclaimed, and laughed.

"I suppose you're right." Sora almost spat her tea, in surprise, at the younger woman. 

"You admit it!" The bearer of light shrugged then changed the subject.

"Well, we're not here to talk about me! We're here to talk about Matt and Tai!" 

"You're right." Mimi said. "But don't think you're getting out of this so easily. Once those two are married, we're focusing on you and T.K.!" Hikari shook her head and smiled.

"Sure guys, we'll do that. Now, back to business, since I'm in charge of the reception festivities, I need some ideas . . ."

"I think chicken's good . . . who doesn't like chicken, after all . . ." Mimi started, and the girls went on with their plans.

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"Are you sure it's going to be okay having Kari prepare everything?" Yamato asked Taichi, and then sat down next to his brunette boyfriend. "I mean, you know she'll ask the other girls for their advice, and if I see one bunny . . . and I mean _one_ . . . I'm going to run . . ."  Taichi laughed and put his arm around Yamato.

"Bunny? What makes you think they'll get bunnies?" The blonde rolled his eyes.

"Well, you know girls, they go gaga for the cute fluffy things."

"So do you, Yama . . ." 

"What's that supposed to mean? You calling me a girl?" Taichi smiled.

"No, I mean . . . well, have you ever actually looked at my hair?" Yamato involuntarily looked up at the mess Taichi called his hair and laughed.

"Ah, I see . . . you think you're fluffy . . ."

"You forgot cute!" 

"No I didn't." 

"Aw! You don't think I'm cute, Yama?" Yamato tried to suppress his laughter, but it bubbled forth. At the saddened look on Taichi's face, he stopped laughing, and looked at the boy with soft eyes.

"Of course I think you're cute. I never would have picked you out to be so self-conscious!" Taichi smiled.

"Only in front of you . . . so if you dare leak out my little personality flaw, I'm going to have to beat you!"

"Promise, Tai-chan?" Taichi's face turned scarlet at Yamato's comment, until he recovered and grinned mischievously. 

"Sure, Yama! Wait to you see my whip! Oh, and I got these great handcuffs with the . . ."

"Tai!" Taichi simply winked at Yamato's blushing face, and got up to grab a soda out of the fridge. When he returned, he saw Yamato looking blankly at the floor.

"Ne, Tai . . ." Taichi smiled kindly, and lifted the blonde's chin so that their eyes would meet.

"What's up Yama . . . why are you so down? You were great a second ago . . ." 

"Can I ask you a really stupid question?" Taichi gulped. Uh oh. 'Stupid question' usually meant something important. The brunette simply nodded.

"Well . . . did you . . . did you sleep with Sean?" The brown-eyed man's jaw dropped at his blue-eyed friend's question. He hadn't been expecting that! 

"Actually, Yama, I didn't." Taichi smiled. "That's why Sean kept on cheating on me. He kept on complaining that we'd been together for so long; he said we _should_ be doing those things together. I just never really felt comfortable enough to sleep with him. So, instead, he slept with the rest of the town." The brunette shrugged. "Anyway, you won't have to worry about Sean much from now on. The only time I'll see him is if Japan goes up against Spain . . ." Yamato sighed.

"Okay . . . as long as . . . _Wait! What'd you say about Japan and Spain?" Taichi smiled._

"Japan signed me. Which means, no more huge spans of time where I'm far from home. Cool, huh?" Yamato didn't answer; he just ran to his fiancé and hugged him tightly. 

"Really?"  Taichi nodded and grinned. 

"Yup." 

"So . . . Tai, have you told your parents about . . ."

"Told me about what?" Mrs. Yagami asked from the hall, and both boys jumped. The woman smiled. "What's on your mind, Taichi?" Taichi looked at his mother and smiled nervously. 

"Well . . . actually, Mom . . ." The woman smiled softly.

"Go on." 

"I'm . . . I'm getting married." Taichi's mother broke into a grin and looked from her son to Yamato.

"To Yamato, here, I hope." Yamato and Taichi's jaws dropped, and they stared at Mrs. Yagami. "Well . . . are one of you two going to answer me?"

"Y-yeah . . . I mean . . . yes . . . I mean . . ." Yamato rolled his eyes at his stuttering fiancé and put his arm around the brunette man's waist. 

"Yeah, Yagami-san . . ." The blonde smiled. "We're getting married." 

"Well then, Yamato, I can't have you calling me 'Yagami-san' anymore, then can I?" The blue-eyed man tensed for a moment and Mrs. Yagami smiled.

"You're going to have to call me 'Mom' from now on." Yamato breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Now then, I'm going to make you two dinner . . ." Taichi looked at his mother, horrified.

"But Mom! You'll kill my fiancé before he gets to marry me!" 

"Oh, please, Taichi. My food hasn't killed you yet!"

"That's 'cause I always fed it to Agumon!" 

"Well, is Agumon still living?"

"Yeah . . . but . . ." 

"Then you'll eat it. You'll live, trust me." Taichi turned to Yamato with a look that said 'Help me.' Yamato looked at Taichi with apprehension. 

"Actually, Mrs. Yagami, er, Mom, I was going to take Taichi out with me for dinner." The woman smiled at the blonde and nodded.

"Alright, then. I'll see you two later." Taichi sighed in relief, grabbed Yamato's hand, and dragged the blue-eyed boy out the door.

"So, are we really going out to eat, Yama?" The blonde shook his head.

"Can't. I'm a little short on cash. I figured we'd go to my place, and I'd make you something." Taichi smiled. 

"Cool. Then what?" Yamato grinned at his fiancé. 

"You'll see."

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The boys had just finished their dinner, Taichi rubbed his stomach happily, and Yamato simply smiled at the brown-haired boy. 

Yamato was starting to get nervous. Sure they had already agreed on marriage, they had even set the date, but he wasn't feeling confident about what he was about to do. 

"Tai?" The brown-eyed man looked up at his friend and smiled questioningly. 

"What's up, Yama?" Yamato looked straight into his boyfriend's eyes, and nearly lost any confidence he had. Taichi always had that way of looking at him that would make him nervous and giddy at the same time; right now, the look wasn't helping. 

"I-I uh, I wanted to . . ." Yamato sighed and took a deep breath. "I wanted to give you something." Taichi's eyes widened.

"Okay . . ."

"Look, it's just that we're not getting married for a little while yet, but I still wanted . . . well I wanted . . ." The blonde pulled a box quickly out of his pocket and held it in front of the brunette. Taichi took the package carefully and opened it slowly, his heart beating madly in his chest. 

Inside the box was another box, a small ring box to be exact. Taichi flipped the cover up and stared at the piece of jewelry inside, his jaw gaping, and tears stinging the corner of his eyes. It was a simple gold band, with the word "Zutto" written in script on the outside and "Courage and Friendship" engraved on the inside. Taichi shot up out of his chair and wrapped his arms around Yamato. The blonde smiled and returned the gesture, and then pulled an identical ring out of his pocket. 

"We'll wear these as engagement rings, so that the whole world will know that we're together. I'm never going to let you go, Tai. I can't. I think I'd die if I lost you again. We've spent enough time apart to last us a lifetime, so for the rest of our lives, we'll just have to make up for the time we lost." Taichi smiled and kissed his fiancé softly, staring at him with the same brown eyes that always made the blue-eyed boy melt.

"Yama, you don't have to worry about me leaving you ever again. I've followed my dream. I followed it, and it led me back to you. That's gotta say something! Destiny's brought us together, and I'm not one to tempt fate. I love you, Ishida Yamato, I always have, and I always will."

The two men kissed each other softly, nearly trembling in each other's arms, slow traveling tears making their ways down to the floor, joining in a small puddle at the lover's feet.

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The End

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AN: Well, that's a wrap folks. Just in case you don't know, "Zutto" means forever or always.

I hope you all enjoyed this fic! Thank you for reading, and thank you for reviewing. Reviews make me very happy. ^_^ You're all wonderful.

Ja ne!

Sailor Red

This fic belongs to Sailor Red, completed July 9, 2003.  


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